Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga have pulled out of Ed Sheeran’s world tour, while two other acts have also withdrawn following the removal of rapper Macklemore over comments he made about Gaza.
Rowe, Beoga, Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Lukas Graham posted on social media that they had withdrawn from Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
Their decision to quit came after Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of the tour following comments he made about Gaza.
During a show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week, the American artist said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
This led to a petition demanding he be removed from the remaining dates.
On Monday, Macklemore posted on Instagram confirming that Sheeran and his team had “made the decision to remove” him from the Loop Tour.
In a response on the social media platform on Tuesday, Sheeran said his departure from the tour was the promoter’s decision and not his.
He said promoters for “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added Robert Kraft, owner of the Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.
He said: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.
“Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.
“Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own personal way.”
The singer said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
Rowe said on Instagram he did not take the decision to quit the tour “lightly”, adding Sheeran “has been a friend to me and has changed my life”.
Rowe said: “I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children.
“I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.
“I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.”
In their post, Beoga said: “We have made the decision to depart as Ed Sheeran’s band on the remaining US Loop tour, following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies.”
The band added: “As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.”
Irish folk band Biird, who performed with Sheeran earlier in his tour, said in a post on Instagram: “Following the decision for Macklemore to be dropped from the Loop Tour, we feel it is important to be clear about where we stand.
“Our time on the Loop Tour has already come to an end. Our last show was at the MetLife stadium where we witnessed Macklemore’s speech.
“We stand unequivocally behind every word he said.
“Our support is with the people of Palestine, with the artists who have made the difficult decision to step away from the tour and with anybody that speaks up against Zionist lobbying groups.”
Finneas said: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.”
Macklemore commented on each of the posts with a love heart emoji and the Palestinian flag.
Sheeran’s next performance is scheduled for September 19 at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Graham and Rowe were planned to open for him.
He has 17 dates still left on the tour across North and South America, with the final show scheduled for December 11 in Mexico City.
Sheeran and Macklemore’s representatives were contacted for comment.
